Sam Fender has won the Mercury Prize 2025 for his album ‘People Watching‘.
This year’s edition of the prestigious awards ceremony took place at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle – Fender’s hometown – tonight (October 16). Many of the 12 shortlisted acts performed live at the event, including Pulp, FKA Twigs and Wolf Alice.
Fender received the trophy from Broadcaster & DJ Sian Eleri who presented on behalf of the judging team – before performing the title track ‘People Watching’ from his winning album again to a standing ovation.
Accepting the award, Fender led the audience in a chant of “Toon Toon” as he accepted the prize. He then went on to thank some of his “very good friends” who were also up for the award including CMAT and Fontaines DC adding that he was in “great company.” He also dedicated the award to the late Annie Orwin, who inspired ‘People Watching’.
On releasing ‘People Watching’, Fender said the track was about somebody who was “like a surrogate mother to me and passed away last November. I was by her side at the end, slept on a chair next to her. It’s about what was going through my head, to and from that place and home.”
The winner of the 2025 Mercury Prize is…
Sam Fender – ‘People Watching’
#MercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/SfAwMwMN7F
— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) October 16, 2025
The judging panel said of Fender: “This year proved that the album remains the format of choice for artists to best present a body of work. That, however, made our job as judges of the 2025 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year is more challenging than ever.
“All 12 records on the shortlist worked so well on their own terms, ranging from ancient ballads to futuristic electronics. After much discussion, however, we all decided on one album that stood out for its cohesion, character and ambition. It felt like a classic album, which will take pride of place in record collections for years to come. ‘People Watching’ by Sam Fender is both melody-rich and expansive, marrying heartland rock with the realities of everyday life and the importance of community.
“These are thoughtful songs with broad appeal, as cinematic as they are intimate, making ‘People Watching’ a worthy winner of the 2025 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year.”
The full shortlist for the Mercury Prize 2025 was:
CMAT – ‘Euro-Country’
Emma-Jean Thackray – ‘Weirdo’
FKA Twigs – ‘Eusexua’
Fontaines D.C. – ‘Romance’
Jacob Alon – ‘In Limerence’
Joe Webb – ‘Hamstrings & Hurricanes’
Martin Carthy – ‘Transform Me Then Into A Fish’
Pa Salieu – ‘Afrikan Alien’
PinkPantheress – ‘Fancy That’
Pulp – ‘More’
Sam Fender – ‘People Watching’
Wolf Alice – ‘The Clearing’
Last month, it was confirmed that this year’s period of eligibility for albums was over a month longer. This meant that the records needed to have been released between Saturday July 13, 2024, and Friday August 29, 2025.
The Mercury Prize moved up north from its traditional home in London this year, as part of a new partnership with Newcastle City Council and the North East Combined Authority. The ceremony followed a week-long regional fringe programme to “celebrate the depth and diversity of talent in the north and create opportunities for local talent”.
Last year’s Mercurys were held at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios, and saw English Teacher take home the award for their universally-acclaimed debut album, ‘This Could Be Texas’.
The former NME Cover stars were the first non-London act to bag the prize since Edinburgh’s Young Fathers won in 2014.
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